Senior plans to join military after high school

Senior Rio Harada has sat through hundreds of hours of lectures, jotted down notes in English and history, taken the SAT and passed countless tests. But in June, after the years that he spent struggling through school with his classmates, he plans to take a very different path: Harada will be enlisting in the military.

“I have a lot of family who have served before,” Harada said. “My cousin did it when he was in the Marine Corps.”

For as long as he can remember, the military has been something that Harada was interested in.

“I [always] thought it was really cool, but I never imagined myself in that situation at the time,” he said. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

The decision has given Harada a different perspective on his life from that shared by many Saratoga students, and he is now eager to learn responsibility and strength from his time in the military.

“I’m kind of a slacker,” Harada said. “I don’t really do much, and if I went to college right now, I probably wouldn’t be disciplined at all. [I hope to learn] self-discipline. [Joining the military] is an investment towards my future.”

There are several benefits that come along with enlisting, Harada explained, including the fact that his schooling will be paid for after. He plans to attend a four-year college following his time in the military.

Because his future involves so much discipline, Harada feels as if he has to take responsibility for his actions now more than ever, and behave differently.

“I feel like I shouldn’t be messing around [in school] now. I should take things more seriously,” Harada said.

Harada also said he is feeling apprehensive, since the experience will be completely new to him.

“It’s a brand new experience. With that, there are going to be some struggles,” he said. “I know military life is a lot harder than civilian life, since there’s a lot more responsibility.”

Harada has to prepare for the military by taking an aptitude test called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), as well as talking to his recruiters and going through an evaluation called the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).

“[In the MEPS], I take the test, and am checked to see whether I am healthy and mentally stable to join.”

In order to take the MEPS, Harada said that he needs to get his weight down and graduate.

“I need to have a high school diploma,” he said. “Based on the ASVAB score, I can pick a job [in the military], and according to my practice score, I can do most of the jobs.”

After telling his classmates and friends about his decision to join, he has gained a lot of respect.

“I guess at SHS it’s a rare thing,” Harada said. “It’s a unique thing to do since everyone’s so academically centered and people are really surprised. I get respect for it; it seems like a meaningful experience.”